26 July 2014

It's My Birthday!

what i'm wearing: dress and shoes Zara // necklace Topshop

Yesterday I celebrated another eventful year on this planet - I'm officially 24! My gorgeous group of friends arranged a fantastic evening for me which included delicious food and tasty wine - they know me well!

We started the evening at No5 Bridge Street in Winchester, Hampshire - a British themed restaurant with seasonal dishes and a long list of wines and cocktails. It's the perfect place to spend a Friday evening with both indoor and outdoor tables and in the recent heatwave the outdoor tables were just the most fantastic place to be. Every Friday there is live music from 9-11pm, and the singer from last night had a voice which sounded very much like Bastille, covering songs like John Legend's 'All of Me' and Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines'.
We went all out with the food and got a three course meal, because the food all looks so yummy - you just want to try it all! I went for the Salt 'n Pepper Squid for the starter and it was all you could ever want from a deep fried squid - tasty, soft and accompanied by chilli jam! For my main I just had to go for the Greenfields Pulled Pork burger with a blue cheese topping and that was just the most filling, satisfying burger ever. The pulled pork was delicious with a hint of sweetness, and the blue cheese balanced it out bringing some heavier bitter flavours - oh yeah! Dessert for me was a trio of sorbets: elderflower, lemon and orange. I love having a sorbet as a dessert as I find after a heavy meal it's nice to have something cool and zingy. My friends also surprised me with a delicious dark chocolate brownie and a 'Happy Birthday' tune!
PS The birthday badge I was given had to stay on my chest because if I took it off I had to pay a penalty of a shot. If I drink shots, I literally feel like my life will end the next morning so the badge stuck firmly on my chest for 99% of the evening!

After our meal, we made our way next door to a fantastic wine bar called The Black Bottle. It really is an upper class wine vending machine bar and works like this: you go through to the bar and you are given a chip card which you will use throughout the evening. Top up the card with however much money you'd like and remember that even if you don't use all the money on your card you can always use the card again! Then you make your way through the building which is beautifully decorated to represent an old manor house and pick the room in which the vending machines dispose your favourite wines: red, white, rose, sparkling - you name it! You use your card in the machines and select the wine you'd like to try, which come in different sizes so you can always have a taster before you commit to a glass. I love the idea of The Black Bottle, and it's a really nice atmosphere to be in. I was surprised by the bar managers who gave me a glass of prosecco as a birthday treat!

I had a lovely evening and would recommend those two places to anyone visiting Winchester for an evening. Although very delicious and high standard, neither No5 nor The Black Bottle charge high prices - rather an average price point for quality, atmosphere and a great time!